Former Air Force engineer arrested in probe of plane crash that killed 15 Marines, Navy Corpsman

A former Robins Air Force Base employee has been arrested for making false statements and obstructing justice during a federal criminal investigation into a 2017 military plane crash that claimed the lives of 16 service members.

On July 10, 2017, a United States Marine Corps KC-130 transport aircraft known as “Yanky 72” crashed near Itta Bena, Mississippi, resulting in the death of 15 Marines and one Navy Corpsman.

On July 2, James Michael Fisher, formerly of Warner Robins, Georgia and currently residing in Portugal, was arrested on an indictment issued by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Mississippi charging him with obstruction of justice and false statements during a criminal investigation into the cause of that crash, according to a DOJ release.

Fisher, 67, is a former propulsion engineer with the C-130 program office at Robins Air Force Base. According to the indictment, he engaged in a pattern of conduct intended to avoid scrutiny for his past engineering decisions related to why the crash may have occurred.

The indictment specifically alleges that Fisher knowingly concealed key engineering documents from criminal investigators and made materially false statements to criminal investigators about his past engineering decisions.

Fisher has been charged with two false statements and two obstruction of justice charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.